Two free writing courses

Two free writing courses

There are loads of wonderful writing classes around, but if you’re strapped for cash, I’ve found two free multi-week writing courses from universities.

How Writers Write Fiction from the University of Iowa started yesterday, so sign up quickly. It’s a 6-week course, running through Nov. 21, with video lessons, online discussion and writing assignments. It’s part of the university’s International Writing Program and taught be IWP director and U of I Professor of English Christopher Merrill and author and Wittenberg University Professor of Creative Writing R. Clifton Spargo, as well as a bunch of contributing authors.

Among the topics the course covers are opening lines, setting, world building, storytelling and revision.

Starting Oct. 27 is a Start Writing Fiction course from The Open University in England. This course is scheduled for 8 weeks with three hours per week of course work. The course is taught by noevlist and short story writer Derek Neale, and also includes videos from other established writers.

Topics covered include the rituals of writing and the importance of keeping a journal, developing ideas, reflecting on writing and editing, research techniques and ways to turn events into a plot. Participants review and comment on the work of fellow writers and receive peer feedback on their own work.

Learning new techniques and tools for fiction writing and creating characters is always good. And for free? Well, who can pass it up?

If you sign up for these, say hi and come back here to let me know what you think.